Combustion system using, as an oxidizer, a mixture of molecular oxygen and a dehumidified gas obtained from combustion fumes

Abstract

A combustion system including a unit for producing oxidizing gas, a combustion apparatus, a unit for condensing the combustion fumes by bringing the combustion fumes into contact with at least one coolant liquid, a recycler, and a unit for providing molecular oxygen. The unit for producing oxidizing gas makes it possible to supply the combustion apparatus with an oxidizing gas originating from the mixing of molecular oxygen and the recycled portion of the dehumidified gas. The combustion system also includes a regulating unit having the function of automatically regulating the temperature of the coolant liquid of the condensing unit and/or a heater for heating the recycled portion of the dehumidified gas.

Please amend the presently pending claims as follows: 
     
         1 . A combustion system comprising:
 a unit for producing oxidizing gas,   a combustion apparatus allowing for combustion of a fuel by using said oxidizing gas,   a condensing unit suitable for condensing the combustion fumes produced by the combustion apparatus, by bringing the combustion fumes into contact with at least one coolant liquid, so as to produce a dehumidified gas,   a recycler for supplying the oxidizing gas production unit with at least one recycled portion of the dehumidified gas at an outlet of the condensing unit,   a unit for providing molecular oxygen and for supplying molecular oxygen to the oxidizing gas production unit, the oxidizing gas production unit supplying the combustion apparatus with an oxidizing gas originating from mixing of molecular oxygen and the recycled portion of said dehumidified gas,   a regulating unit, which has a function of automatically regulating a temperature of the coolant liquid of the condensing unit,   and at least one of the following technical features and/or:
 (a) at least one sensor for measuring an absolute or relative humidity in the recycled portion of the dehumidified gas and/or at least one sensor for measuring an absolute or relative humidity in the oxidizing gas and/or at least one sensor for measuring an absolute or relative humidity in the combustion fumes, and the regulating unit has a function of automatically regulating the temperature of the coolant liquid of the condensing unit-based at least on the absolute or relative humidity measured in the recycled portion of the dehumidified gas and/or based at least on the absolute or relative humidity measured in the oxidizing gas and/or based at least on the absolute or relative humidity measured in the combustion fumes; 
 and/or 
 (b) an operating range defining a maximum absolute or relative humidity and a minimum absolute or relative humidity, and the regulating unit has a function of automatically regulating the temperature of the coolant liquid of the condensing unit so as to keep the absolute or relative humidity of the oxidizing gas within said operating range of the combustion apparatus. 
   
     
     
         2 . The combustion system according to  claim 1 , comprising a heater for heating the recycled portion of said dehumidified gas. 
     
     
         3 . The combustion system according to  claim 1 , wherein the regulating unit has a function of automatically regulating the temperature of the coolant liquid of the condensing unit so as to keep the absolute or relative humidity of the recycled portion of the dehumidified gas GD-within a predefined operating range. 
     
     
         4 . The combustion system according to  claim 1 , wherein the regulating unit has a function of automatically regulating the temperature of the coolant liquid of the condensing unit so as to keep the absolute or relative humidity of the oxidizing gas within a predefined operating range. 
     
     
         5 . The combustion system according to  claim 1 , wherein the regulating unit has a function of automatically regulating the temperature of the coolant liquid of the condensing unit so as to keep the absolute or relative humidity of the combustion fumes within a predefined operating range. 
     
     
         6 . The combustion system according to  claim 1 , wherein the regulating unit has a function of automatically regulating the temperature of the coolant liquid of the condensing unit so as to keep the temperature of the coolant liquid of the condensing unit at a predefined temperature or within a within a predefined temperature range. 
     
     
         7 . The combustion system according to  claim 2 , wherein the heater is suitable for heating the recycled portion of said dehumidified gas by using of calories taken from the combustion fumes. 
     
     
         8 . The combustion system according to  claim 1 , comprising a heater that is suitable for heating the recycled portion of said dehumidified gas, such that the temperature of the oxidizing gas at an inlet of the combustion apparatus is within a predefined temperature range and/or such that the temperature of the oxidizing gas at the inlet of the combustion apparatus is above the dew point of the oxidizing gas. 
     
     
         9 . The combustion system according to  claim 1 , wherein the condensing unit comprises at least one condensing device comprising a bath of coolant liquid, and an injector making it possible to move the combustion fumes through this bath of coolant liquid. 
     
     
         10 . The combustion system according to  claim 1 , comprising a supply device suitable for introducing one or more treatment additives into the coolant liquid, in order to treat the pollutant(s) potentially captured in the coolant liquid. 
     
     
         11 . The combustion system according to  claim 1 , comprising at least one sensor to measure pH of the coolant liquid or measure concentration of at least one pollutant in the coolant liquid, and a supply device suitable for automatically introducing one or more treatment additives into the coolant liquid, depending on the measured pH or the measured concentration. 
     
     
         12 . The system according to  claim 10 , wherein said at least one treatment additive is a base, and more particularly NaOH, KOH, Ca(OH) 2 , or is an acid and more particularly sulfuric acid, or is hydrogen peroxide, or is a flocculating agent. 
     
     
         13 . The combustion system according to  claim 1 , comprising a pollution-removing unit which is positioned between the condensing unit and the recycling point of the recycled portion (GDR) of the dehumidified gas, and which has a function of removing at least some of the pollutant(s) contained in the dehumidified gas obtained at the outlet of the condensing unit, so as to recycle, as far as an inlet of the oxidizing gas production unit, a recycled portion of dehumidified gas that has had at least some of its pollution removed. 
     
     
         14 . The combustion system according to  claim 1 , comprising a pollution-removing unit which is positioned between the combustion apparatus and the condensing unit, and which has a function of removing at least some of the pollutant(s) contained in the combustion fumes, before the pollutant(s) pass through the condensing unit, so as to introduce the combustion fumes into an inlet of the condensing unit with at least some of their pollution removed. 
     
     
         15 . The combustion system according to  claim 13 , comprising a pollution-removing unit is suitable for capturing one or more pollutants selected from the following list: fine particles, SOx, NOx, acids, heavy metals, ammonia, VOCs. 
     
     
         16 . The combustion system according to  claim 1 , comprising a pollution-removing unit comprising at least one washing device suitable for bringing the dehumidified gas that is to have pollution removed or the combustion fumes that are to have pollution removed into contact with a washing liquid. 
     
     
         17 . The combustion system according to  claim 16 , wherein the washing device comprises a bath of washing liquid, and an injector making it possible to move the dehumidified gas that is to have pollution removed or the combustion fumes that are to have pollution removed through this bath of washing liquid. 
     
     
         18 . The combustion system according to  claim 1 , comprising a unit for capturing carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) from the non-recycled portion of the dehumidified gas. 
     
     
         19 . A method comprising:
 combusting a fuel by combustion system comprising:
 a unit for producing oxidizing gas, 
 a combustion apparatus allowing for combustion of a fuel by using said oxidizing gas, 
 a condensing unit suitable for condensing the combustion fumes produced by the combustion apparatus, by bringing the combustion fumes into contact with at least one coolant liquid, so as to produce a dehumidified gas, 
 a recycler for supplying the oxidizing gas production unit with at least one recycled portion of the dehumidified gas at an outlet of the condensing unit, 
 a unit for providing molecular oxygen and for supplying molecular oxygen to the oxidizing gas production unit, the oxidizing gas production unit supplying the combustion apparatus with an oxidizing gas originating from mixing of molecular oxygen and the recycled portion of said dehumidified gas, 
 a regulating unit, which has a function of automatically regulating a temperature of the coolant liquid of the condensing unit, 
 and at least one of the following technical features (a) and/or (b): 
 (a) at least one sensor for measuring an absolute or relative humidity in the recycled portion of the dehumidified gas and/or at least one sensor for measuring an absolute or relative humidity in the oxidizing gas and/or at least one sensor for measuring an absolute or relative humidity in the combustion fumes, and the regulating unit has a function of automatically regulating the temperature of the coolant liquid of the condensing unit based at least on the absolute or relative humidity measured in the recycled portion of the dehumidified gas and/or based at least on the absolute or relative humidity measured in the oxidizing gas and/or based at least on the absolute or relative humidity measured in the combustion fumes; 
 and/or 
 (b) an operating range defining a maximum absolute or relative humidity and a minimum absolute or relative humidity, and the regulating unit has a function of automatically regulating the temperature of the coolant liquid of the condensing unit so as to keep the absolute or relative humidity of the oxidizing gas within said operating range of the combustion apparatus, 
   and the method comprising:   supplying the combustion unit with the fuel and with the oxidizing gas originating from the mixing of the molecular oxygen and the recycled portion of the dehumidified gas obtained from the combustion fumes.   
     
     
         20 . The method according to  claim 19 , comprising automatically regulating the temperature of the coolant liquid. 
     
     
         21 . The method according to  claim 19 , comprising heating the recycled portion of the dehumidified gas before the dehumidified gas is introduced into the unit for producing oxidizing gas. 
     
     
         22 . The method according to  claim 21 , comprising taking calories from the combustion fumes and using the calories to heat the recycled portion of the dehumidified gas before the dehumidified gas is introduced into the unit for producing oxidizing gas. 
     
     
         23 . The method according to  claim 21 , wherein the recycled portion of said dehumidified gas is heated such that the temperature of the oxidizing gas at an inlet of the combustion apparatus is within a predefined temperature range and/or such that the temperature of the oxidizing gas at the inlet of the combustion apparatus is above the dew point of the oxidizing gas. 
     
     
         24 . The method according to  claim 19 , wherein the fuel is chosen so as to produce, at an outlet of the combustion apparatus, combustion fumes which comprise carbon dioxide and water vapor. 
     
     
         25 . The method according to  claim 24 , wherein the fuel is a hydrocarbon. 
     
     
         26 . The method according to  claim 19 , wherein the combustion fumes produced at an outlet of the combustion apparatus comprise carbon dioxide, water vapor, and one or more pollutants, and more particularly one or more pollutants selected from the following list: fine particles, SOx, NOx, acids, heavy metals, ammonia, VOCs. 
     
     
         27 . The method according to  claim 26 , wherein the combustion fumes have all or some of their pollution removed as the combustion fumes pass through the condensing unit. 
     
     
         28 . The method according to  claim 26 , wherein the combustion fumes have all or some of their pollution removed before the combustion fumes pass through the condensing unit. 
     
     
         29 . The method according to  claim 26 , wherein the dehumidified gas has all or some of its pollution removed before a portion of this dehumidified gas is recycled at an inlet of the oxidizing gas production unit. 
     
     
         30 . The method according to  claim 19 , wherein the carbon dioxide is captured from the non-recycled portion of the dehumidified gas.